Wheelbarrow-handle



H. M. CASWELL. VWHEELBARROW HANDLE. APPLICATION men SEPT. s, 1920.

1,392,114, Patentedsept. 27,1921.

I useful UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WHEELBARROW-HANDLE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HERBERT M. CAswELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kingman, in the county of Mohave and State of Arizona, have invented new and Improvements in WVheelbarrow- Handles, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention has reference to an attachment for wheel barrow handles whereby the wheel barrow may be wheeled in an easier manner and with less expenditure of physical exertion than has heretofore been accomplished.

Other objects and advantages will present themselves as the nature of the invention is better understood, reference being had to the drawings accompanying and forming part of this application.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation showing the method of gripping wheel barrow handles constructed in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevation of a handle grasped by the hand.

Fig. 3 is a similar bottom plan View.

Fig. 4: is a longitudinal section through the handle.

In wheeling a heavily loaded barrow, the strain is mostly directed to the grip of the hands, and consequently these parts become tired and exhausted. In fact the load is actually carried besides being shoved forward, and as a result the pull on the fingers is increased so as to loosen the grip. The grip or efiiciency may be summed up as weight of load plus weight of resistance in shoving the barrow forward and in carrying the load forward, and especially on an in line as shown in Fig. I nearly all of the energy is concentrated on the grip, and particularly on the first and second joints of the first finger of each hand, as it is there where most of the gripping action occurs.

In the construction illustrated in the drawings, an abutment element 2 is secured on the handle 1 of a barrow 3. The element 2 is in the nature of a sleeve that has its corners rounded to present no sharp surfaces. It will be understood that a sleeve is employed on each handle, and each of the sleeves, on its under face has a transverse concavity 4 at its rear edge. The inner wall of the concavity as well as the side walls thereof are rounded, as at 5.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 27, 1921.

Application filed September 3, 1920. Serial No. 407,967.

The depression or concavity extends approximately one-third of the way around the sleeve, so that in pushing the barrow the sleeve Wlll prevent the hands slipping forward and the concavity will cause the pressureto be distributed against the fingers and thumb of the hand at all points except the first and second joints of the index finger and the first joint of the thumb. From experience I have found that regardless of the push exerted on the barrow the grip will not be loosened as the push is all exerted by the portion of the thumb from the first joint to its base and by the portions of the fingers from the knuckles to the joints next to the knuckles. Consequentlythe portionof the thumb from the first joint to the end" ofthe thumb and the portions of the fingers from the second joints to the finger tips are employed for no other purpose than to grip the handles. It will be understood that it is due to the provision of the concavity in the abutment element that the gripping portions of the thumb and fingers do not impinge against the abutment element. As a result these gripping portions of the thumb and fingers may exercise a firm grip upon the handle.

The abutment element is preferably adjustable along the handle for which purpose a set screw 8 may be threaded through the abutment element so as to engage the barrow handle. The set screw is preferably countersunk into the abutment element and is located at the under side of the abu ment element. It will be obvious that the abutment element may. also be forged or swaged into the handle, thereby making said element non-adjustable with relation to the handle, and it will be understood that wherever I have referredto the abutment element as a sleeve, that the non-adjustable bulbous element is to be also included.

Various changes may be made without depart'ng from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

WVhat is claimed is:

A wheel barrow having abutment ele ments on the handles thereof, said abutment elements having concavities in the rear edges of said elements at the bases of the same.

In testimony whereof I have name to this specification.

HERBERT M. CASWELL.

signed my 

